


Arisen in Skyrim

by Kohaiame



Category: Dragon's Dogma, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Action/Adventure, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, Distrust, Flashbacks, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Mostly Gen, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Third Person, Possible Character Death, Spoilers, Tags May Change, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:41:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27587612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kohaiame/pseuds/Kohaiame
Summary: Tired of living as the Seneschal the Arisen ends the cycle, and ends up in Skyrim with her loyal pawn. With a chance to start over is it possible for an Arisen to gain happiness?
Kudos: 6





	1. Arisen in Skyrim

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda and Dragon's Dogma belongs to Capcom. I own nothing.
> 
> Note:
> 
> "Speaking"
> 
> 'Thinking'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Arisen has become the Seneschal, and now must take her place as the keeper over the World.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda and Dragon's Dogma belongs to Capcom. I own nothing
> 
> Note:
> 
> "Talking"
> 
> 'Thinking'

Arisen in Skyrim

Lidded eyes gazed upon the world, upon all of Gransys, upon a tiny fishing village called Cassardis. Her eyes scanned the familiar faces as they continued on their usual schedule. Twas as if nothing had happened. At first the people of Cassardis, while glad that the world was safe again, felt sorrow at the loss of their kin. Chief Adaro had felt as if he had lost his own child, but the one who felt the most sorrow was Quina. She had lost her best friend, her sister.

An invisible figure looked pitifully at her inconsolable friend as she wept in her room. "Why Cos?" Quina's quiet voice trembled. "Why did you have to leave where I could not follow? You've done so much already, even saving me from the Wyrm twice! Yet, there was naught I could do." As she sobbed the figure stepped forward and extended her hand.

"Quina." The figure spoke, but her voice went unheard and her hand only went through her shoulder. Unable to stand seeing those she cared about in such a state she decided to ease their suffering. She erased the traces of her existence from the world and altered their memories.

The Arisen was a mysterious person who no one would truly remember. With their memories gone or changed everyone went back to their lives and moved on. Twas as if nothing had happened, as if she had never existed. Sadness filled her heart, and her eyes became watery.

"Are you alright Master?" She heard a male voice say. Blinking back the tears she turned to look at the mage clad in red.

"I'm fine Arliss." She answered. He studied her face seeming unsure, and questioned if he should say something, when she called his name. "Arliss?"

"Yes Master."

Tentatively she asked, "Are you alright?"

Arliss smiled. "You need not worry about this pawn, I always mind my health and stamina."

The Seneschal stifled a chuckle at his eager answer. He may not have understood her question, but he did answer it in his own way. He like most pawns were content to just be near the Arisen. It didn't bother him to be stuck in this place, the way it did her.

Arliss looked at her in confusion trying to understand her reaction. Laughter was an expression humans made when they were happy, and yet she didn't seem happy. He knew it from her expression. Human emotions often confused him, but even he knew what tears meant. He saw it clearly, as well as felt it through his connection with the Arisen.

"Master, why are you sad?" He asked. The question hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity. His inquisitive gaze seemed to see right through her.

"H-How?" She finally managed to say. In answer Arliss raised his hand in that way pawns did. The scar on his hand glowed, as if in response the scar over her heart began glowing brightly.

"Have you forgotten again Master? We pawns are connected to the Arisen. To an extent pawns can feel when they are near the Arisen. I, being your main pawn can feel more than the other pawns, what the Arisen feels." He lowered his hand and the glowing ceased.

The Arisen lowered her gaze and turned around once more staring longingly at the earth. "There is no longer a place for me in that world." Her voice came out in a low whisper which would have went unheard if they were not in the vast, rift like space of nothingness.

"That's not true Master. You are the Arisen, the pawn legion is ever yours to command." Arliss then kneeled. "Arisen, I follow your will, and will always do so. You will never be alone Master."

A small smile formed on her lips and her eyes eased into a more gentle look."Thank you Arliss. Please stand, you are my friend. I told you this before, friends don't need to act so formally." She said, as she helped him up. "Arliss, thank you again for your words, and for always staying at my side. You are my most trusted and loyal friend. I wish to ask you to stay by my side as I rule as the new Seneschal and keep watch over this world."

He smiled at her words. "Of course Master, tis' an honor."

And countless lifetimes came to pass. The Seneschal had watched from her throne as everyone she knew lived, grew old and withered away. She watched the same happen to their children, their grandchildren, and so on. Generation after generation came repeating in an everlasting cycle. Empty lidded eyes stared at the world in apathy. She let out a bored sigh as she tiredly leaned back into the cold uncomfortable throne. "If you're tired rest." She heard a familiar voice say.

"Thank you Arliss, but I'm fine. I'm not tired, tis' just I grow weary of keeping watch over this world." She said while looking down on the world and it's people. Everyone looked so happy.

She envied them. She envied their happy, ordinary lives. She had never wanted to be the Seneschal, she never wanted it in the first place. She had been cursed the moment she became the Arisen. She hated it, but she could not bring herself to blame Savan or Grigori, as they had also suffered, an Arisen's fate. She thought of following Savan's footsteps, and sending a new Dragon to find the next Arisen, but decided against it. She no longer cared for the world, but something inside her didn't want to cause someone else to be cursed with the fate of an Arisen. She didn't know what to do.

Without thinking she pulled out the Godsbane blade and began examining it.'The blade that released Savan from Eternity.' Delicately she ran her finger along the cold smooth blade. The memory of Savan's death played in her mind, the blissful look on his face as he knew his time as Seneschal was finally at an end. Her answer was right here in her hand. She stood up and held the sacred blade with both her hands. Slowly she lifted it up and pointed it at her chest.

Arliss turned from the view of the world to the Arisen, and was shocked by what he saw. Swiftly she thrust the godsbane blade into her heart. "No! Nooo!" He desperately cried out.

She felt the impact as the blade pierced her flesh, then an intense tingling sensation as if she had been struck by lightning, followed by a sudden wave of fiery searing pain.The Seneschal knew not if she had just doomed the world, but she did not care, for she was free. A look of pure bliss formed on her face as numbness took over, and her vision began to blur. A familiar face called out to her from above worriedly. 'I'm sorry Arliss, farewell.' Her vision faded and her eyes closed.

"Open your eyes!" He pleaded, but no response came. Arliss kneeled by his masters' side, unsure of what to do he simply gazed upon the Arisen.

Suddenly the rift beneath them disappeared and they fell through the crisp, blue sky. "Master!" Arliss called out as he reached out to her, but to no avail. "Maasteer!" He continued grasping at her as she continued falling below him. At that moment he felt something change in him, and tried again even more determined. He pushed his way through the clouds and fought against the wind with all his might. Stretching his hand out as much as he could, he grabbed her hand, and pulled her body close to his. The ground neared dangerously close. He held the Arisen close with one arm and pulled out his staff with the other. "Levitate!" He shouted as he sent as much energy to his staff as he could. His staff began glowing brightly, he felt his body jerk as they suddenly stopped falling. After a moment they slowly began descending again as he sent energy to his staff. He held on as long as he could, but he knew he couldn't hold it for long as his energy was draining fast. The light of the staff ceased as the last of his energy gave out, and they fell.

Soft fluffy snow eased their landing and they tumbled apart. Arliss got up as quickly as he could, his breath heavy. He grabbed his staff and ran to her side. "Master!" When he got to her he stopped, for she was dead. She had died before the rift opened beneath them. He fell to his knees, and hid his face in his hands, shaking in frustration and grief.

Recalling something he paused. He took the small sacred blade out of the Arisen's chest, put it away, and took out a heart shaped red stone. Looking at the wakestone with a mixture of hope and skepticism, he observed it noting that he could still feel some magic emanating from it. A person with a strong enough will could use a wakestone to bring someone back to life. Pawns could not do this so he knew it likely wouldn't work, but for some reason he felt like he could do it. Mustering as much will as he could Arliss placed the stone over her heart, and willed her alive. It glowed a blinding light as it went into her, when the light was gone there was not a sign that she had ever been stabbed.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, then she got up into a sitting position, a dazed look upon her face. "Ah, Master, you're back!" Arliss happily exclaimed.

The Arisen looked at him in confusion. "Arliss, how am I still alive?" She asked still in a daze as she examined herself to find that there wasn't any proof of her having stabbed herself.

With a smile he replied. "I used a wakestone." Her eyes widened, at this revelation. She knew that pawns couldn't use Wakestones, even some humans were unable to use them.

"You? How?" He looked just as confused as her, seems he didn't know either. "Wait, where are we?" She asked, finally noting her surroundings.

"I know not." He answered. "I have no memory of this place." Looking around she realised it couldn't be her world because she had watched it for so long that she knew everything about it. In all the world she had not seen such flowering plants that could grow in such a cold climate. Sharing this revelation with Arliss he agreed. "I think you're right."

They stood in silence for a bit before the Arisen asked, "How did we get here in the first place?" Arliss then told her what had happened after she stabbed herself with the Godsbane blade, and returned it to her. "I see, thanks." She said.

She recalled Savan's words, and how he said he was the keeper of 'this' world, and wondered if Arisen, and keepers, and the endless cycle existed in this new world as well. 'If it does I want nothing to do with it.' She thought to herself. At the very least she was glad to be in a world again. "Let's go Arliss." She said as she began walking.

"Yes Master." Arliss replied as he began following her. "What will we do now Arisen? Where are we going?" He asked simply.

Steadily moving forward she simply answers, "Who knows?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Chapter 1: If you've seen this story on ffn you'll know that this is my first (and currently only) fanfiction that I've ever done. Now that I also have an ao3 account I'll be cross-posting on both sites. I'm also new to ao3, and don't really know too much about tags so if you notice that they're lacking, or if I made a mistake please let me know so I can fix it.
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed.


	2. Ambush!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Across the snow covered land, a strange figure follows our Arisen, and pawn pair. Who is it, and what do they want? Unbeknownst to all a fateful encounter approaches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda and Dragon's Dogma belongs to Capcom. I own nothing
> 
> Note:
> 
> "Talking"
> 
> 'Thinking'

Chapter 2: Ambush!

It was a beautiful day. The air was crisp, and cool, and there were few clouds allowing for sunlight to warm the earth. It was peaceful, and quiet, the silence was only interrupted by the sound of footsteps over the snow, as a figure walked.

"Skyrim is beautiful." He said to himself as he admired the view. Suddenly the wind picked up, and something caught his eye.

'What in oblivion is that?' He thought as he noticed something strange in the sky. Dark clouds spiraled in a small part of the sky, and something fell out, followed by another. He squinted to better see what they were. 'It looks like... a person? Are they people? That's impossible.' Curiosity overtook him, and he began running toward the area where whatever he was seeing would land.

As he ran he glanced up to see that while the sky had returned to normal, they kept falling. He stopped to catch his breath, but kept his eyes on them. The two came together as one falling object, then he saw a bright light as it stopped in mid-air. Whatever he was seeing began falling again though much more slowly. He started running again towards where it would land as he lost sight of it.

When he got there, it or they were not there. He examined the snow and noticed a spot where the snow was disturbed in a way as if something had fallen. From this place were two sets of footprints. 'Did someone really fall from the sky?' He thought bewildered. Curious, he decided to investigate, and followed them.

They had been walking for only a short while in silence before Arliss got used enough to the area to return to his usual, talkative self. "These flowers could prove to be aught of use. Shall we take them?" He asked as he stopped to gather some without waiting for a response. The Arisen stopped and watched him a moment afore joining him. "They come in an assortment of vivid colors. Mayhap they could be used for different things." He noted aloud.

"Let's go Arliss." Said the Arisen once they had gathered all the mountain flowers in the area. "There should also be a village or some other settlement around here." She glanced at the sky. "T'would be best to find such afore dark." It looked like it was still pretty early, but considering that they didn't know anything about wherever they were, she didn't want to take any chances. She knew from experience that night's were dangerous.

"Hm? What's that? This looks interesting." Along the way things easily caught Arliss' attention, and he often pointed them out, and picked things up. This had slowed their pace, but since most of the things he picked up seemed useful she let him continue, and even joined in when something seemed particularly interesting.

'They came this way.' He thought to himself as he followed the footprints.'Then they stopped here.' He glanced at the bushes around him, and stepped closer to one of them to examine it. The bushes were missing flowers, only the buds remained, furthermore he could see where there were clear, recent cuts. 'They were here, they stopped to pick these, then left.' He glanced back to where the footprints led, and with renewed vigour he followed them at a quicker pace than before.

"Come on Arliss." She interrupted him from his gathering. "That's enough for now, let's try to find some people or-" Swiftly she spun around drawing her bow, her eyes scanned the area warily. Arliss was also alert, he had his staff ready, and was already preparing an incantation. A magical sigil appeared between them, enveloping them with its spellscreen. She felt it's effects instantly. It was a good call on his part as it would enhance their attributes, without running the risk of being ineffective due to choosing the wrong element for the wrong foe. 'I'll have to praise his good work later.' She thought to herself with a small smile as she shot an arrow at a bush a ways back. The sound of a 'thunk' resounded as it passed through the bush and hit something. With blades drawn she moved quickly, yet cautiously.

"What do you see Arisen?" Arliss followed staff in hand, he was prepared to attack anything should it pose a threat, or if the Arisen willed it. One hand held up a dagger defensively as she used the other to move the bushes aside. It was a tense moment before she sighed, sheathed her blades, then turned to Arliss, and shook her head in reply. "There was naught?" He asked in disbeleif. Her senses were keen, she was usually right about these kinds of things. 'Mayaps she's a bit jumpy from spending so long in that place? It's been so long since she's had to be cautious that now she's on edge.' He speculated. "Are you alright Master?" He asked concerned.

"I'm fine Arliss." Though she wasn't entirely sure. There was naught there, save for the arrow she shot which was now embedded in a tree. T'was nothing, yet she had felt as if they were being watched. She could still feel the tense tingling sensation on the back of her neck as if someone was watching, following. 'Are we being followed?' A feeling of dread came over her. What if someone saw us fall? How would we explain ourselves?' She then tried to calm herself.'I must be overthinking it. It must be the nerves.' She rationalized. Feeling a bit better she went up to the tree and retrieved her arrow. "Let's go now."

"Yes Master, right away." They left with a quickened pace. "We must move cautiously Master, after all I think that may not have been naught." Upon hearing this she tensed a bit and looked at him questioningly, her face a mixture of unease and confusion. He continued. "You're very sharp, and your senses are keen. If you think aught was there, you're probably right."

She sighed. "That's actually what worries me." Arliss listened attentively. "It would have been better if I was wrong." When she said this Arliss tried to calm her by rationalizing the same way she had earlier. At this point she wasn't sure whether she should be relieved that he also thought she could be wrong, or not because she might be paranoid.

'That was close.' A figure crouched hidden in the shadows of the foliage. Following the footprints at his pace he managed to catch up with them. 'They really are people, they really fell from the sky.' He thought to himself when he saw the two figures who he had been following. As he got closer he could see it was a man and a woman, and even though they were one of the human races something about them was different from anyone he's seen before. Something besides the fact that they fell out of the sky. The two were speaking about something, and curious he inched forward his full attention on trying to hear what they were saying. Suddenly the woman whipped around with her bow drawn. 'By the Nine!' He mentally berated himself. Immediately he began sneaking to another spot as quickly and quietly as possible, trying not to disturb even the leaves. Luckily for him she didn't shoot right away, so he had time to get to another area. Upon hearing a strange noise he turned to see a bright light envelop them, the man was holding up his staff which was glowing. Upon receiving the effects of the magic the woman loosed an arrow at where he had been watching a moment ago, then they both went to check it out. They moved surprisingly quickly, but he had already found another hiding spot. He was glad for the lack of snow because they would have found him easily, then he would have been in a bad position. Under normal circumstances he would not hide, he would've faced them to see if he could speak with them, if not he would kill them. 'If only I had a weapon and armor, I would confront them.' The two began leaving quickly as if they were in a hurry, he followed, but was careful to not follow too closely. For a moment he questioned his actions wondering what it was that compelled him to follow them so much. 'Whatever it is I hope it doesn't get me into too much trouble.'

The same feeling kept nagging at her from the back of her mind and wouldn't go away. She regretted not being a bit more thorough with their search earlier. The suspicion left her continuously looking over her shoulder making her a bit less aware of what was ahead. Arliss however was alert and would let her know if he saw something, soon enough he did. "What do you make of that Arisen?" Getting her attention she looked to where Arliss motioned to. There were people, two groups of people. The first group of people wore mostly blue clothing and a bit of fur, and appeared to be traveling. The Second group of people wore something that seemed familiar. They were wearing red leather armour, she recalled how some bandits wore such armour. Furthermore she could tell that they were planning an ambush on the other group of people.

"Bandits, and it looks like they're planning to ambush those people." Arliss nodded in agreement of her observation and looked to her to see what she wanted to do.'We are quite lucky, running into such an opportunity. Saving them, will get us in their graces, which will make things easier for us.' The people in blue still haven't noticed the bandits, but they could strike at any moment so they would have to hurry. Recalling that red leather armour had resistance to fire and sometimes lighting she spoke up. "Arliss, enchant my weapons with ice. Take caution in this battle as well, their armour may be resistant to fire and lightning."

"Understood." He said as he cast Ice Affinity on the Arisen. A small bluish ball of light floated to her, and as it touched her it covered her daggers and bow in its icy cold magic, making them as frost. Immediately she was on the move, and so were the bandits who were beginning their assault. She pulled out her bow and loosed an arrow hitting a bandit with deadly accuracy, a few of his comrades near him noticed and looked to the source. One of them took out his own bow and aimed at her, she dodged his arrow and shot one of her own.

'You shouldn't keep still while facing an archer.' She thought as the icy arrow pierced the man's chest. 'You as a fellow archer should have realised that.' The sound of an angry bandit's war cry pulled her attention as four bandits began rushing at her. The first was a warrior equipped with a great sword, he charged at her with his large weapon aimed straight ahead. She managed to avoid it by rolling to the side before he could stab her, as soon as she did a fighter came from the side prepared to slash at her with his sword.

"Take my fire!" A familiar voice called out, and the fighter was hit and sent back by a large fireball. The bandits whose attention was on the Arisen a moment ago turned to the mage who now stood before them. The fighter got up angrily and shot Arliss a deathly glare, his shield had saved him from being burned and even mitigated some of the damage of the impact.

"He's mine!" Yelled the fighter to his comrades as he moved towards Arliss. The sound of an anguished cry got their attention back to the Arisen who had taken the opportunity to kill one of their own while they were distracted. "You two take care of her!" The fighter told them as he turned back to the mage. "Now, where were we mage!" He spat as he lunged forward. Arliss leapt back to avoid his attack, the fighter attacked with a flurry of slashes which Arliss dodged as best he could. "You can't dodge forever!" Knowing he was right Arliss whacked him with his staff, stunning him momentarily. Using his chance he pulled out a foreign knife and threw it at him. Having been so close he hit easily where he needed to, right between his eyes. The fighter fell dead and Arliss took back the knife before going to join the Arisen.

Having just been saved by a fireball she recognised as Arliss' Ingle, she quickly regained herself and went back on the offensive. While the bandits were distracted by his entrance she drew her daggers and dashed past one of the bandits with her blades extended, slicing his stomach. He cried out and keeled over holding his wound desperately before he bled out and died. They turned back to her and the fighter yelled at them to kill her while he fought Arliss. The other two began coming after her, and she found herself faced with the warrior again, as well as a woman wielding an axe in each hand. The woman charged at her first, swinging the axes ferociously. The Arisen had to perform a few rolls in succession in order to avoid being hit by the crazily swinging axes. She hadn't faced such a chaotic vocation before and wasn't sure how to deal with it, so she focused on avoiding her attacks. The woman continued chasing her while frantically swinging like a mad woman, and the warrior held up his great sword and would try to slam it down onto her when she rolled by. They were becoming angrier and more frenzied each time they missed, and she was also getting tired of being on the defensive. Whenever she tried to switch tactics to attack one of them the other would cover for them making things more difficult, and she would have to go back to dodging. Suddenly she heard Arliss' voice call out.

"I've hold of one, now strike!" The woman who had been swinging like mad a few moments earlier was now bound by darkness. Arliss had killed the fighter, then snuck over and quietly cast high grapnel on her. With this the Arisen moved quickly, intent on killing the woman, seeing this the warrior tried getting between the Arisen and the woman, and swung his great sword horizontally at the Arisen. She leapt over his blade, landed on his head, then kicked off of him into the air. The woman could only watch as she dived at her from the air, she was unable to even bring up her axes in defense of what was to come. The Arisen spun as she was coming down bringing her blades splitting into the woman's skull. The warrior was stunned a moment afore rage took him.

"You'll pay!!!" He shouted as he ran at the Arisen and brought his large blade crashing down, she leapt back barely avoiding being smashed. His movements didn't stop a moment as he easily lifted it back up, pointed at her with the blade and charged forward. She rolled aside again, but this time he was ready as he spun around, readjusted his grip and prepared a vertical strike.

"High Ingle!" A number of fiery balls hit the warrior and he was knocked back as they exploded. He caught aflame and cried out, however Arliss' attention wasn't on him. As the first fiery projectile exploded on contact the warrior, and the Arisen who had been too close to the ingle's target were knocked back. "Are you alright?" Arliss asked as he hurried to check on her. As she began getting up he could see she had taken a bit of damage but was for the most part unharmed. He then began casting Anodyne. The Arisen looked up and her eyes narrowed, then she interrupted him from his casting as she spoke in a low, harsh tone.

"Arliss move aside." Her fierce fiery gaze was intense, she held her bow firmly in her hand. Arliss quit casting and moved aside without question as she knocked multiple arrows into her bow, and fired them all at once. They flew past him and he turned as the arrows bored their way into the warrior who had used the snow to put out the fire, and was trying to make his way to them despite being at the verge of death. Not one arrow missed, and the warrior never again moved.

"A single arrow would have sufficed Master." Said Arliss as he began casting Anodyne again. Instead of answering right away she tiredly bent over and huffed to catch her breath. "Please don't overdo it." He said as he finished casting Anodyne, and put his hand on her shoulder. A magical sigil appeared between them, as they were enveloped in it's holy light healing their wounds. Finally she caught her breath and replied.

"Just wanted to be sure." She quietly said in response to his earlier comment, after pausing she turned to him and said. "Thanks." In response he smiled and was about to say something when she spoke up. "It's not over yet, let's go." He nodded and they went swiftly to join the fight.

The Arisen took her daggers and dashed to and fro among the chaos as she killed bandits with her skill, meanwhile Arliss was using a different method of fighting. Since he required a bit of time to make an attack he took to sneaking and hiding while he cast his spells. It was especially effective because of how hectic everything was. With all these people out in the open and getting each others attention they were having trouble noticing him even with all his magic attacks.

After having been healed and covered in another spellscreen by Arliss before joining them the Arisen was now fighting a bit more skillfully. Unfortunately her thoughts were beginning to make it difficult to focus on the battle. She had noticed that the people in blue clothing were actually wearing armour and were fighting fiercely as if they had already been used to battle. At this moment realization struck her. 'I've just gotten us into the middle of a war I know nothing about!' As she cut down another bandit or soldier she calmed herself and decided to accept it. 'I can't change it now so I'll just continue. The plan was to help these people and get a place in this world through them anyway. So that's what I'm gonna do.' She slashed another soldier and steeled her resolve. 'Nothing has changed.'

Over time they began tiring out and more enemy soldiers appeared. The people in blue were formidable fighters but they were outnumbered. Soldiers fell on both sides but the fallen enemies were swiftly replaced by reinforcements. A commanding voice resounded. "Take as many as you can alive!" Many of the soldiers in blue who were weary began getting easily knocked unconscious. The Arisen dashed past a soldier but only left a scratch, he smirked and swung at her. She jumped back and seeing how ineffective her attack was knew she had to do something. At that moment a cry was faintly heard which sounded like someone calling 'Theif!', then someone on a horse tore through the battlefield, passing right between the Arisen and the soldier nearly hitting them. An arrow flew hitting the horse in the heart, and as it fell forward the man on it was thrown off. The momentary distraction caused by this allowed her time to sheath her weapons and pull out her last flask of poison, if she threw it at that soldier it would whittle his health away. She aimed at her target, but before she could throw it someone grabbed her from behind, and before she knew it she was unconscious.

"Master!" Arliss called as he saw the unconscious Arisen being taken by an enemy soldier. Quickly he went up behind the soldier and knocked him out with his staff. 'I have to get her out of here!' He thought, as he put his staff away. He picked her up, and tried to make an escape. From the side someone hit him in the head with the hilt of their sword. He felt himself falling and everything turned to black. 'No.' Was the only thing he could think before he lost consciousness.

From the shadows a pair of eyes studied the battle. He was surprised when the two he had been following suddenly ran right into the middle of a battle, right into an ambush, and began fighting against the imperials with the Stormcloaks. He recalled how easily they drew their weapons earlier when they almost found him. 'They're pretty aggressive.' He concluded before wondering why they joined one side in the first place. 'Do they know about the war? How much do they know of Tamriel?' He was curious about these mysterious strangers and had a lot of questions he pondered about as he watched the battle, a part of him wishing he had his weapons and armor so he could join in the fun.

They fought impressively and differently from others he's seen before. The woman swiftly, and skillfully weaved through the battlefield cutting imperials and avoiding Stormcloaks. The man sneakily went around the battle and would cast spells to attack before falling back to avoid being noticed. 'He's pretty good at making himself scarce.' He noted how even as he watched him he somehow managed to lose him among the chaos even while wearing bright crimson red robes which should have made him easy to spot. They and the Stormcloaks fought well, however there were more imperials than they could hold off. He watched as the imperials began knocking out Stormcloaks to take alive. A horse theif thought he could make it through but was easily knocked off the horse and taken prisoner along with the Stormcloaks. He watched as the woman was taken from behind and when she fell the mage tried to rescue her only to share the same fate. He was disappointed as some of the remaining Stormcloaks surrendered and they began taking them hostage. 'Guess those two will also be taken, pity they were interesting.'

"You there! Surrender now or face the consequences!" The voice of an imperial soldier interrupted his thoughts. Turning he found a sword pointed at his neck. The soldier began shouting again even louder. "I found another one! There's a rebel here!"

"I'm not with the Stormcloaks." He tried to explain his situation but the imperial wasn't listening, instead he only eyed him with suspicion. While pointing his sword and holding up his shield he continued to call for reinforcements. "I already said I'm not a rebel! I don't even have a weapon!" More imperials showed up and surrounded him, one of which hit him in the head with the hilt of his blade. 'I probably shouldn't have followed those two.' His eyelids felt heavy and his vision started fading. He looked at the man who found him. 'Just you wait, I'm gonna kill you.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Chapter 2. What did you think? Were the fight scenes good, or did they feel clunky? Please let me know so I can improve.


	3. On the Road to Execution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting themselves involved in an ambush Arliss, and the Arisen awaken captured amidst a group of Rebels. The road ahead is filled with gloom, and their doom is certain...yet could aught of use be gleaned from forging bonds with fellow hostages? Can a quick wit, and a few choice words possibly save them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda and Dragon's Dogma belongs to Capcom. I own nothing
> 
> Note:
> 
> "Talking"
> 
> 'Thinking'

Chapter 3: On the Road to Execution

The first thing he felt as he regained consciousness was the ache he felt in his head. Despite being awake he tiredly refused to open his eyes, and listened to the sounds around him while his mind filled in the gaps. He heard horse trotting and the sound of a cart's moving wheels. He then realised he could feel himself moving. 'Why am I here? Where are we going?' He wondered. 'What about Master?' His eyes snapped open suddenly. "Where is she?" He asked frenzied.

"Hey you! Quiet back there!" Someone shouted. Arliss turned to see that the voice belonged to a man in what looked like red leather armour sitting at the front. He recalled the earlier battle and understood the situation. The newfound clarity was a boon, but he knew he was in a bad situation.

"You should calm down." Came the voice of another man. Arliss looked ahead of himself and saw an unconscious man leaning sideways towards the front. He wore rags, and had long, dark, disheveled hair which masked his face, and shrouded him in mystery. Next to this man was the one who spoke. He wore the same blue armor as the ones they tried to help earlier. He was tall, and hardy looking, with long fair hair, and bright blue eyes. "She's right next to you. That's her right?" He said motioning his head towards her. Arliss turned to see he was right, the Arisen was resting unharmed on his shoulder. He breathed out a sigh of relief glad she was well, when he heard a bit of low laughter from the man. "You must've been really out of it not to notice." He had a small smile but his eyes were solemn and downcast. "I get it though." He continued. "We're not exactly in a good situation."

Arliss mentally agreed with what he said but outwardly payed it no heed. "Thank you." He simply said to the man before attempting to wake up the Arisen. He found it was quite the difficult task to wake someone with bound hands. "Master." He tried calling a few times to no avail. "Master." He called once more before being interrupted.

"Why do you call her Master?" The man asked curiously. "That's kinda strange. I've never heard anyone call someone that, not even Jarls." He said bluntly.

Arliss was taken aback. 'Wasn't he able to tell that we're a pair consisting of an Arisen and their Main Pawn?' He wondered confused before remembering where they were. 'There must not be Arisen in this world.' With this revelation he wasn't sure how to go about answering his question. 'What would she want me to say?' He asked himself. Not knowing how to answer he instead opted to distract him by asking a question of his own. "Earlier when I asked where she was, how did you know I was referring to her and not someone else?" He asked as casually and human-like as he could hoping it wasn't obvious he was trying to change the topic.

"You both stick out like a sore thumb." The man said bluntly, his face giving no indication of whether or not he was aware that the question he was answering was just to change the topic. Arliss wondered if his distraction was actually working. "Your clothes are foreign and different." The man continued speaking and Arliss took this as a sign that his distraction worked. "Anyway, it's not polite to change the topic after being asked a question." Feeling like he had somehow failed the Arisen, Arliss cursed his inexperience at these kinds of things.

Pawns were often looked down upon by humans for being without wills and being emotionless. Humans would only associate with pawns when it was necessary or if they wanted to take advantage of them in some way. As such, pawns were left with few chances to learn to interact and get along with humans. 'It seems the experience I gained from the few humans who were willing to speak with me, and what I learned from the more knowledgeable pawns like Barnaby wasn't enough.' Arliss thought as he let his face go flat into a more pawn-like expression. 'Very well since I can't do this as a human, I'll do it as a pawn.' Pawns may be will-less and even allow themselves to be treated as dirt, however when it comes to a task especially for the sake of the Arisen they can become much more steadfast and determined than any human. Arliss had decided that it would be best not to say anything that may give them away without her consent, so he would have to not answer his question. In a clear, unwavering voice Arliss spoke. "I'm sorry. I'll not say aught against my Master's will."

"Mmn?" A familiar voice pulled Arliss' attention away from the conversation. The Arisen stirred in her sleep and Arliss called to her again. "Arliss." She said as she opened her eyes. "Arliss, what?" She mumbled not entirely awake.

"So your name's Arliss?" The same man asked. "I'm Ralof" He said Friendily. The man called Ralof looked at the woman seated in front of him. "How about -" He began to ask before being interrupted by another man next to him.

"Will you be Quiet?!" The man yelled, waking up the unconscious man and getting everyone's attention.

"Shut up back there!" The soldier at the reigns shouted at them, then turned back to the front.

The man noticing the attention he had garnered quickly averted his gaze downward. Ralof ignored him and turned his attention on the other man who had just awakened.

"Hey you, you're finally awake." He said to the now conscious man. "You were trying to cross the border right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I had just crossed over from Cyrodil not long before running into that Imperial ambush." The man answered.

"Just the same as us." Ralof said. "The Imperial ambush part anyway. Skyrim has always been my home." He continued. "Of course I can't speak for everyone here." Turning towards Arliss and the Arisen he then asked. "You're foreigners too right?"

"Yes, we're foreigners." Said the Arisen. She noticed that the others were looking at her and Arliss curiously, especially the man from Cyrodil who seemed to be observing them with great scrutiny. 'Are we really so out of place to stand out this much?' She wondered a bit nervously.

"I've been wondering, where are you from?" Ralof asked.

"Tis' a very far away place." She said. "I doubt you've heard of it." 'Because it doesn't exist in this world.' She thought to herself. She noticed that Ralof seemed disappointed that she didn't answer his question, then she noticed the man from Cyrodil was staring at her with an odd expression on his face. Twas a mixture of distrust and a knowing look which made her uneasy.

"What is it?" Arliss harshly asked the man when he noticed he was staring at the Arisen. The man was a bit surprised that he suddenly spoke to him in such a way. The Arisen was also taken aback by the cold tone of voice Arliss used. "Do you need something?" He continued coldly.

"Hey now, you might want to calm down." Ralof intervened. "What's with that tone?" He asked. "You're almost as bad as that thief over there." He said gesturing to the man next to him.

"Damn you Stormcloaks!" The thief yelled at Ralof, angry at the slight. "Skyrim was fine until you came along!" He continued. "Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you I'd have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell." He looked past Ralof at the man from Cyrodil then glanced at the other two foreigners. "Not all of us are rebel scum!" Ralof's eyes narrowed into a cold, hard glare. "We shouldn't be here. It's you stormcloaks the Empire wants." He said directing his frustration at Ralof.

It was quiet a moment before Ralof spoke. "And what about you huh?" He asked the thief His voice was low but it held a hint of anger. "I may be a rebel, but you're just a thief" He said coldly raising his voice. The horse thief only recoiled away in response. Unnoticed by the others, the man from Cyrodil flinched upon hearing his words. Ralof sighed. "It doesn't matter." He said defeated. "We're all brothers and sisters in binds now." He looked down solemnly at his hands which had rope tightly cutting into his flesh.

They all sat quietly, not uttering a word. The only sounds heard were the slow trotting of the horse and the wheels of the carriage moving along the road to their destination. The silence brought out the gloom of the situation they were in, however it also allowed the Arisen time to take everything in.

She understood that the they had gotten themselves involved in a civil war by siding with the rebels also known as Stormcloaks against the Empire, and that they were now at the Empire's mercy. She also knew that the land they were in was called Skyrim, and that there was another nation by the border called Cyrodil. She recalled how the thief mentioned a place called Hammerfell. 'It must be another nation in this world.' She thought. 'Of course, it could also be a village or city.' She wondered what kinds of places skyrim held and how it would be important to learn their way around. 'We'll have to acquire a map when we escape.' Coming out of her thoughts the gloomy atmosphere reminded her of the situation they were in. 'If we escape.' She corrected herself with a sigh.

The silence was interrupted by the horse thief "What's wrong with him?" He asked Ralof while looking ahead at the man next to the Arisen who was gagged as well as bound. "Why is he gagged?" Arliss, the Arisen, and the Cyrodil man looked curiously at the gagged man.

'I've been wondering about that as well.' The Arisen thought as she observed the man next to her. 'Is he someone of great importance?' She wondered.

Ralof answered the question they were all wondering. "Watch your tongue! That man is Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King." Ralof's tone and the words he spoke carried such a weight that they were able to understand the situation upon hearing them.

'True High King?' Thought the Arisen. 'He must be important to the Rebellion.' Then realization struck. 'He's been captured with us so the place we're being taken to-'

"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm?" The horse thief asked. "You're the leader of the Rebellion." He paused. "If they captured you-" He spoke slowly yet tensely as his mind pieced together the new information with the situation, then it dawned on him. "Oh Gods!" His voice was shrill as panic set in. "Where are they taking us?" He asked, his voice quivering and his body shaking.

Ralof answered. "I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits." He said slowly with a stoic expression. His voice was low and held sadness, however there was a hint something else as well.

"Sovngarde?" Arliss asked, not following.

The man from Cyrodil answered. "Sovngarde is the afterlife for us Nords, especially warriors." He said calmly. "When you think about it, getting executed isn't a bad price to pay to spend the rest of eternity in Shor's grand hall."

"No, you're mad!" The horse thief yelled. "That may be fine for you, but I'm not ready to die yet." He said terrified. He lowered his head and tried to calm himself. "This can't be happening. This isn't happening." He said in a low shaky voice to himself over and over.

Arliss looked at the Arisen. She had a serious look on her face which couldn't be read. 'Not again.' Arliss thought. 'I won't let you die again.' He steeled his resolve. He looked ahead, determination glinting in his eyes. "I'll not allow it to happen." He said in a low tone to himself quietly. The Arisen heard him speak and glanced at him curiously but said nothing.

The man from Cyrodil also noticed and said to him, "I suppose a Breton like yourself wouldn't understand."

"I'm not a Breton." Arliss said simply. "I'm a-" He stopped himself before he could finish the sentence. He mentally berated himself realizing what he said. 'T'would have been better if I had said naught.' He glanced at the Arisen and saw that she was looking at him worriedly. Arliss avoided her gaze and looked at the man instead. The man smirked as if he knew something more than what was just said, then he spoke.

"Really? You're sure you're not a Breton?" He asked while feigning ignorance. "You look kinda like a Breton, and seem the magic sort, so I figured you were." He continued. "If you're not a Breton, what are you?" He asked casually. He stared at Arliss and glanced at the Arisen curiously. They felt as if his gaze was looking through them. Finally he looked away towards the front at the road ahead. "Since we're all going to die anyway it doesn't matter." He said with a sigh. He watched the road ahead stoically, his eyes betrayed him with the sadness they held. "So, what about you? Where will you go when -" He paused. "Well you know."

Arliss turned to the Arisen, his eyes silently asking for guidance. Seeing his expression she thought a moment before she leaned in and whispered. "You can tell him aught about the Rift, but tell him naught of Pawns, Arisen, how we got here, or anything from before then." She Paused. "Although, if I say that I am the Arisen then you can say who you are as long as you don't give too much away." She watched him and he nodded.

"My kind go to the Rift when we are killed." Arliss answered the man. He was careful to avoid saying 'pawns' and 'return to the rift'.

"The Rift huh?" The man asked. "What's it like?"

Arliss recalled the Rift as he thought about how he should answer. "The Rift is exactly how it sounds." He said simply. The man raised an eyebrow. "In the Rift there is naught but the Rift itself and the others in it." He explained. 'We pawns also don't tend to speak to each other within the Rift either.' He thought but kept hidden as he continued describing it. "The Rift is dark but to an extent you can see, although if you look ahead you can't see aught. When you're in the Rift you also feel naught."

The man from Cyrodil was confused. 'This guy talks weird.' He thought. 'What's aught, and naught, and why does he keep saying them?' He wondered. 'Must be how they speak at wherever they come from.' He concluded. There was also something else that was bothering him about the mage talking to him. 'The way he talks about the Rift in such detail with that face make it seem like he's speaking from experience, as if he's been there.' He felt a bit weirded out by this thought. "That doesn't sound like a good afterlife." He said to Arliss. "Do you get reincarnated after or what?"

"Reincarnated?" Arliss asked.

"Born into the world again." The man explained. "Some races beleive it." He said with a shrug.

Arliss thought about it a bit. 'Pawns can't truly die, we simply return to the Rift until an Arisen calls us into the world with a Rift-stone.' He thought. 'Of course I can't say that.' After carefully considering his words he spoke up. "Yes, something like that." Luckily the man accepted the answer and didn't ask anything else.

The horse thief was still repeating the same words over and over in attempt to calm himself, but to no avail. Finally Ralof decided to say something to stop him. "Hey, what village are you from horse thief?" He asked.

Slowly the thief stopped, he paused a moment before he turned to Ralof. "Why do you care?" He asked coldly.

Ralof looked at him sadly. "A Nord's last thoughts should be of home." He spoke slowly, his low voice cutting through the cold and setting down heavily as a dead weight in their hearts.

The thief stared at him in shock and terror. "Rorikstead." He spoke so quietly Ralof had to strain his ears to hear. "I'm from Rorikstead." He raised his shaky voice, then his gaze drifted downward as his thoughts filled with home.

He watched the road ahead vigilantly, his gaze was unceasing. After a short while he spoke up. "Looks like they're taking us to that town." The words of the Cyrodil man got their attention and they all turned to see their destination. The town appeared to be somewhat fortified and suited for military use. The gate was open, but it did not make the thick, towering walls of stone surrounding the town any less imposing.

"It's Helgen." Said Ralof as he recognized the place. "I used to be sweet on a girl from here." As he reminisced a small bittersweet smile formed on his face. "I wonder if Velod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in." He looked at the fortified wall. "It's funny, when I was a boy Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel safe." As the cart approached the gate Ralof's eyes caught sight of something which caused him to scowl. "Look at him!" The others turned to look at the man he was glaring daggers at. "General Tullius of the Imperial Legion." He growled. "And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn elves, I bet they had something to do with this."

'Elves?' The Arisen curiously pulled her attention from the General and observed the people called Thalmor. They were different from anyone she's seen before. They had a golden tint to their skin which made them appear almost as if they were glowing, as well as a unique facial structure with high prominent cheekbones, and long pointy ears the like she's only seen on a few pawns in the Rift. The Arisen was fascinated with this Thalmor race. 'I wonder what else exists in this world.'

The Imperial at the reigns suddenly pulled the horse to a stop. A female captain approached the cart issuing out orders to an Imperial soldier who had been speaking to the General.

"Why are we stopping?" The thief asked fearfully.

The man from Cyrodil rolled his eyes. "They plan on giving us Mead and Sweet-rolls." He said sarcastically before asking in a harsh voice. "What do you think?"

"This is it." Ralof said with a sigh. "This is the end of the line." He stood up. "Let's go, we shouldn't keep the Gods waiting for us."

The thief panicked. "No! Please wait! We're not Rebels!" He cried. "I fully support the Imperial Legion!" He loudly proclaimed. "I would never side with Rebel Scum! Death to the Stormcloaks!"

His words only brought him glares from the other captives around him. The man from Cyrodil was disgusted to be kinsman with such a coward and felt that he was a disgrace to the Nord race. The thief's cowardly mein reminded the Arisen of a certain person who once made a false accusation against her to avoid punishment after having been saved by her, as well as another coward who did the same for another reason. The worst glares though were from Ulfric and Ralof. "Face your death with some courage you damn thief!" Ralof harshly reprimanded.

They all got up and stepped out of the cart. They stood facing the female captain, and another Imperial soldier. "Step towards the block when we call your name, one at a time!" The captain called. Hearing her order the Imperial next to her pulled out a parchment. Ralof muttered something under his breath about the Empire and their lists.

The Imperial soldier stepped forward and began reading the names off the list. "Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm." He said slowly as he marked the name on his list. Ulfric closed his eyes and nodded as in acceptance before he walked to the block.

"It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric." Ralof said to him as he passed by.

The Imperial froze when he saw the next name on the list. Slowly he rose his gaze and his voice. "Ralof of Riverwood." He called casually. Ralof stepped forward. For a moment their eyes met. Ralof looked ahead coldly as he walked to the block. The Imperial's eyes followed him with sadness and a bit of regret, before he returned to the list and called out the next name. "Lokir of Rorikstead."

"No! I'm not a Rebel!" The horse thief Lokir screamed. "Please listen to me!" His plea fell on deaf ears. "You can't do this." An imperial soldier stepped forward to take him by force. The soldier reached out his arm to grab him but Lokir evaded his grasp. "No!" He ran from the soldier and dashed past the captain.

"Halt!" Yelled the captain as he brushed past her nearly knocking her over. He ignored her and kept running.

As he ran towards freedom Lokir felt a strange sensation form in his chest and travel up into his throat before finally escaping from his lips. Realizing that freedom was within his grasp he let out a victorious laugh. "You're not gonna kill me!" He cried out triumphantly.

The captain glared angrily at the fleeing prisoner. "Archers!" She called out. Immediately Imperial archers aimed at Lokir. Without waiting for the captain to order them to fire they knocked arrows into their bows and let them fly. Their skilled marksmanship was clearly demonstrated as their arrows pierced Lokir's body, not a single arrow missed their mark. Lokir let out a final anguished cry before his body fell dead. "Hmph." The captain turned to the rest of the prisoners. "Anyone else feel like running?" She asked with a smirk. The rest of the prisoners were silent. The spectacle they had just witnessed made it clear that escape would be a difficult feat to accomplish. Satisfied that the rest of the prisoners seemed deterred from the thought the captain turned to the one with the list. "Carry on Hadvar." She ordered.

Hadvar looked at the rest of the prisoners in confusion. He looked at the list and glanced between them a couple of times. "Wait." He pointed at Arliss, the Arisen, and the man from Cyrodil. "You three step forward." He ordered. The man and Arisen did as they were told while Arliss watched the Arisen before following her example. When the three stood before him Hadvar asked. "Who are you?"

The first to speak was the man from Cyrodil. He stood tall, and broad, and proud, his deep blue eyes shone bright with determination. "I am Kriger." He introduced himself proudly, his deep voice was unwavering. "I had just crossed the border from Cyrodil not long before."

"You picked a bad time to come home to Skyrim kinsman." Hadvar commented as he wrote on the list. He looked up from his writing at the other two prisoners. "Next!"

The eyes of those around were easily drawn to the two strangers who were left. They looked on curiously, at the two who were so obviously foreigners in their lands.Their clothes, and gear betrayed how out of place they were. The young man appeared to be a Breton, as he was a bit short, as Bretons tend to be. His light brown hair was short, and straight, and hung over what appeared to be a circlet of sorts. He wore a long, bright red, cloak over dark bottoms, and had a strange staff with what looked like a piece of a heart at the top. The young woman at his side stood close to his height, only being half a head shorter than him. She had raven black hair which almost reached her shoulders, her bangs held up over a strange black circlet. She wore an armored vest, which seemed suprisingly light, over chain hosen. On her arms were dark bracers with only one glove. She had a dark short-bow on her back, and at her sides were two dark twin daggers in the shape of a dragons head. The two wore matching raven black scarves or cloaks, and black over knee boots.

The Arisen straightened herself. She knew what she was about to say, but she knew not if it would work. Her bright, yet cold, hazel eyes met Hadvar's. Her eyes shining in defiance, she raised her voice in answer. "I am the Arisen." Her tone and bearing held an air of authority. 'I know I told myself if such things existed in this world I would not associate with them, but right now this is all I can do.' She thought to herself as she relied on the title 'Arisen'. "My name is Silvana."

He watched the Arisen closely. He knew not how to answer so he would watch and follow her example. She stood defiantly and loudly proclaimed herself to be the Arisen. 'Since she called herself Arisen there should be nothing wrong with me calling myself a pawn.' Arliss thought. When she had finished her introduction he wasted no time in answering. "I am the Arisen's Main Pawn." He said with some pride. He bowed slightly, and were his hands free he would raise his hand to show his glowing scar. "This pawn is called Arliss." He said raising his head.

"We hail from Gransys." Said Silvana.

'Arisen, pawn, Gransys?' He contemplated those words and their possible meaning. The demeanor of the woman Silvana, especially regarding the way she told them of her title 'Arisen' was one of command and importance. 'She must have been a leader of some sort in the world of Gransys.' He concluded before thinking about the mage who followed her. Arliss had called himself her 'pawn' and even made a distinction by referring to himself as 'main'. 'What kind of title is pawn or main pawn?' He wondered, but even as he pondered it the words were too unfamiliar for him to guess. 'They're not from this world so whatever titles they may have in Gransys won't be of any use to them here.' Kriger thought as he recalled the sky earlier. He then observed the confused Imperial who looked like he was trying to recall if he's ever heard of such a place or title, finally Hadvar gave up and wrote on his list.

"I've never heard of Gransys or such titles before." Hadvar told them before turning to the woman next to him. "Captain, what should we do? They're not on the list."

She looked at them with derision. "Forget the list. They go to the block."

"By your orders Captain." Hadvar turned to the three sympathetically. "I'm sorry." He apologized. Turning to Kriger he said. "At least you'll die here, in your homeland." He then turned to Arliss and Silvana. "We'll try to make sure your remains get returned to Gransys, wherever it is." The Captain began walking towards the block. "Follow the Captain." Wordlessly they did as they were told.

Kriger easily followed first, bravely. He had meant what he said earlier in the cart. 'Execution is a small price to pay to spend eternity in Sovngarde.'

Silvana was only slightly hesitant. She was disappointed that her freedom from the Seneschal's Throne lasted so shortly, but she was not afraid of death, she had already killed herself once before after all. She knew her pain would not last, but the same could not be said of Arliss. He would be forced to watch her die a second time, then he would be killed and would return to the Rift, possibly forever. 'Would he blame himself?' She wondered sadly. She recalled a few of the pawns she met in the Everfall who lost their Masters and spent their eternities blaming themselves and regretting their mistakes. 'I don't want that for Arliss.' She thought. "Arliss" She whispered. "Listen to my final commands."

"Master?" Arliss whispered confused and worried.

"Don't do anything to try to save me, and no matter what happens to me promise me you won't blame yourself." Arliss was shocked upon hearing her orders. "And If you can, try to live." He tried to form a response but could not. "Promise me Arliss."

He felt as if his throat had closed up but forced himself to speak. "I promise." He followed her command and said the words she wanted to hear even though what she asked of him went against every fiber of his being. 'Will I really have to do nothing, and watch her die again?' He asked himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Chapter 3: I know some things may be strange. Things like tis' and aught are purposefully used because I'm trying to emulate the way they speak in Dragon's Dogma. This manner of speaking will mostly be used by Silvana, and Arliss, and will make them stand out compared to the folks in Skyrim who speak more similarly to us.
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my story!


	4. Unbound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escape is nigh impossible. The Prisoners begin to accept death, and the end approaches...yet fate would say otherwise. A cloud of unease hangs o'er the Arisen, and looms above. She can feel it. Something stirs, something awakens, something comes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda and Dragon's Dogma belongs to Capcom. I own nothing
> 
> Note:
> 
> "Talking"
> 
> 'Thinking'

Chapter 4: Unbound (Part One)

Slowly they walked through the cobblestone streets. The hushed voices of the civilians met their ears as onlookers murmured amongst each other. They felt stares on their backs as people openly gawked and glared at them. The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a blade. Their hearts and bodies felt heavy. Each and every step they took forward took an incredible amount of effort to make. What was only a short walk felt a lot longer. Finally, they reached the block where the others were waiting.

General Tullius stepped torward Ulfric with a heavy gait. "Ulfric Stormcloak." He greeted with contempt, and disdain. "Some here in Helgen call you a hero, but a hero doesn't use a power like the voice to murder his King and usurp his throne." Hearing his words Ulfric scowled at the Imperial General, a low growl escaped his throat. Infuriated by Ulfric's defiance he cried out in anger. "You started this war, flung Skyrim into chaos! And now the Empire is going to put you down and restore the peace!"

At that moment something bellowed from within the clouds. It's powerful cry could be heard throughout all of Skyrim. The Arisen heard it clearly, a sound which was all too familiar. A feeling of dread weighed upon her heart, and it wasn't from fear of execution.

"What was that?" Hadvar asked, his eyes darted to and fro as he searched for what could have made that noise.

General Tullius looked up when he heard it. He wouldn't admit it, but there was something about that sound which shook him to his very core. A small bead of sweat formed on his forehead and slid down his cheek. "It's nothing." His words were both an answer to Hadvar's question, as well as reassurance for himself. He tore his gaze from the sky and turned to his subordinates. "Carry on."

"Yes General Tullius!" The Captain exclaimed. She turned to a robed woman. "Give them their last rites." She ordered.

The robed woman stepped forward and raised her arms in praise. "As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the eight divines upon you -"

A Stormcloak soldier stepped forward. "For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with." He marched up to them adamantly with unfaltering determination. "Come on! I haven't got all morning!" He yelled.

Arliss watched the Stormcloak in confused horror as he walked forward. 'Why?' He glanced at the Arisen, then turned back to the Stormcloak who was now kneeling. 'Why are you so eager to die?' Humans were supposed to try to live, to fight or flee in the face of death. Arliss watched as the Stormcloak spoke his last words, and was quickly and easily silenced by a single swing of the executioner's axe. Seeing the man's severed head roll into the basket sent his mind reeling. 'If I do naught the same will happen to Master.' The image of her lifeless form appeared in his mind. 'No! I mustn't allow it!' Her words resounded in his head reminding him of her orders and the promise he made. 'If I do aught I'll be disobeying her orders.' 

The first execution brought cheers and applause from the Imperials and townsfolk alike. The prisoners watched with mixed expressions of sadness and anger, the death of their comrade adding more grief to their sorrow. One Stormcloak soldier cried out bitterly against the Imperials, tears forming in her eyes.

Ralof spoke of their newly deceased comrade solemnly, yet loudly enough for the other prisoners to hear. "As fearless in death as he was in life."

Silvana decided to add on to the statement out of respect. "He faced his death with valour." She was sure she heard it said once long ago.

Kriger was a bit surprised that even a stranger who fell from the sky would have something to say. He let out a small chuckle. 'In that case I should offer my piece too.' He looked up with a twinkle in his eye, and smirked. "He was a True Nord who died for the honor of Talos, and I'm proud to call him my brother!" He shouted as loud as he could, getting surprised looks from everyone.

The Stormcloaks then let burst their cries of rebellion in honor of their fallen brother in arms. The Imperials tried to quiet them, but were unsuccessful. The enraged captain pointed at Kriger. "Next the Nord in the rags! Seize him!" Imperial soldiers immediately grabbed him and shoved him in front of the other prisoners, as their cries slowly died down. The captain took slow deliberate steps as she sauntered towards him. "You said you were proud to call him your brother?" She spoke calmly and had a small smile on her face, but her eyes held an unbridled fury. "Then you should be proud to join him." She snarled. "Execute him!"

From within the clouds something let out another cry. Which was faintly heard in Helgen. "There it is again." Hadvar looked around. "Did you hear that?"

The captain ignored him. "I said; next prisoner." She ordered through clenched teeth.

"Guess it's my time huh?" Kriger said to himself.

"Hey you, wait a moment." A familiar voice called.

Kriger turned to Ralof in confusion. "It's Kriger." He said somewhat coldly. "What is it?"

"Let's share some mead in Shor's grand hall brother." Ralof said with a grin.

Kriger couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as he went up to the block. His smile faded, when he stood in front of the executioner. Without a word he kneeled.

The Arisen had a queer feeling since first she heard it. That faint distant sound which was so familiar. She was sure she knew what it was. The wind picked up, and the feeling grew stronger. The headsman raised his axe, and she turned away, lifting her gaze to the sky. She knew she was right, but when she saw it her breath caught in her chest. 'That is one large-'

"Wyvern!" Arliss' voice interrupted her thoughts.

"No." She breathed. 'That's no Wyvern.'

"Dragon!" A cry echoed, and it was heard by all in Helgen.

"By the nine divines." Kriger's voice was a whisper, his mouth agape, and his eyes wide. He never thought he would see such a sight. 'A real Dragon.' The creature let out a powerful roar, and fire fell from the sky.

'It cast Grand Bolide?!' Arliss was taken aback by its display of power, before realization struck. He eyed the Arisen's daggers which were secured to her waist, and cut his binds on the blade's exposed edge. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a Stormcloak run into a tower. "Come Master!" He pulled the Arisen, and they rushed into the tower. Once they were inside he cut her bindings with a knife.

"Thanks Arliss." she said while rubbing her wrists.

"Of course Master." He replied. "What should we do now?"

The Dragon Unleashed another cry of unrelenting force. A heavy gust of wind threw Kriger from the block. He fell with a heavy thud. 'I'm not going to stay down.' He grit his teeth, and pushed himself to his feet. He stood unsteadily on shaky ground. 'What now?' He frantically looked around, completely disoriented. Ralof came and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Come on, the gods won't give us another chance!" Ralof took off towards a tower. "This way!" He called.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Said Kriger as he followed. Once they were safely inside Kriger noticed the presence of Ulfric, several other Stormcloaks, and a certain pair of strangers whispering amongst themselves. 'What are they talking about?' He wondered. He was then taken out of his thoughts when Ralof asked Ulfric what everyone wanted to, or already knew. Everyone turned to Ulfric eagerly awaiting his answer.

Despite the chaos outside, and the tense atmosphere inside Ulfric spoke calmly. "Like you I don't know much about what's going on, but I do know that legends don't burn down buildings." A few soldiers who were in denial seemed to become even more tense. "The return of the dragons may be a bad omen, however it did give us another chance." As soon as he finished speaking, the dragon let out another roar which shook the tower. "We need to move. Now!"

"Up through the tower, let's go!" Ralof ordered as he hurried up the staircase. Kriger, and the two strangers followed. A couple of Stormcloaks were clearing a pile of rubble at the top. One turned to Ralof and began to shout something when the wall shattered. "No way." Ralof stared wide eyed as the dragon poked it's head in. It opened it's mouth. "Watch out!" Fiery breath flowed from it's mouth into the tower. They pressed themselves against the wall to escape the passing flames. Hot air brushed against their skin fiercely, like a maelstrom. Finally the dragon took back to the sky, and the fire vanished.

Silvana let out a relieved sigh. "That was far too close for my liking."

"Yeah, I'll say." Kriger agreed.

"Is anyone harmed?" Arliss asked, staff ready.

"There's no time for idle chatter." Ralof interrupted. "Come on." He waved them over, and pointed out the new window. "See the inn on the other side? Jump through the roof, and keep going."

Silvana examined what was left of the building below. 'There's not much left of it, but tis' not much of a jump either.' She noted. "Alright, let's go Arliss." She leapt off the tower, and landed gracefully in the inn below. Arliss jumped after her, sending energy to his staff. It began glowing a familiar light. Kriger narrowed his eyes as he recognized it.

"Is he flying?" Ralof asked in awe. Kriger ignored him, and jumped after them. "Friendly folks." Ralof sarcastically muttered to himself. Just when he was about to follow, a loud crash resounded. Ralof whirled around. "By Yismir's beard!"

Kriger landed with a heavy thud. "Urgh." He grunted. 'Hope I never have to make another jump like that again.'

"Kind of you to join us Sir.Kriger." The Arisen woman greeted.

Kriger raised an eyebrow. 'Sir?' Choosing to ignore the greeting he said. "Shouldn't you be moving? There's a dragon out there."

"There may be aught here." She defended. "If you're in a hurry you can go ahead."

He shook his head with a sigh. "If you're planning on getting burnt to a crisp that's your problem." He said before jumping to the floor below.

Once he was gone Silvana looked down at her hand. Opening her palm revealed a small, golden coin. She knew it wasn't the best time, but she brought it up to her eyes anyway. Observing it she noticed that it had the profile of a man with the words 'The Empire is Law, The Law is Sacred' engraved on it. At first she was relieved that she could read at least one of this world's written languages, but then a thought hit her. 'Empire, this must be Imperial money.' She wondered if the rebels had another currency, and if they'd accept it. 'I still have my money from Gransys as well.' She thought. 'Would that be worth anything here?'

"There Master, I've spotted Ser.Ralof." Arliss' voice took her from her thoughts. She pocketed the coin, and looked to where he was pointing. Ralof could be seen in the midst of battle. "Shall we join him?" Arliss asked. She gave an affirmative nod, and with that they were off.

Ralof found himself in a tough spot. He, and a few other Stormcloaks were surrounded by a group of Imperials. "Damn you!" Ralof yelled. "Even in the midst of a dragon attack you wanna fight?!" An imperial soldier charged at him with his sword. Ralof jumped aside, and brought down his axe. It cleaved through the poor man's arms, and he let out a shrill cry. Ralof swung again, this time decapitating him. Two more imperials glanced at each other with a conspiratorial nod. The first one charged straight on. Ralof blocked easily, and their blades locked. They fought against each other with all their strength. Ralof pushed forward His blade inched towards the Imperial's throat, despite this the soldier smirked. Ralof looked at him in confusion, unaware of the incoming slash at his open side.

"Watch your flank!" Someone yelled. Ralof turned his head to see another Imperial coming at him with a ready blade. His eyes widened, and he broke into a cold sweat. He knew he couldn't block this attack. The imperial raised his blade, and stopped. His eyes opened wide in shock. His mouth went agape, and blood spilled out. The soldier fell revealing the one who killed him. "Don't leave yourself open like that, brother." The Stormcloak said.

"Thanks, Gunjar." Ralof said, as he finished off the Imperial he had locked blades with. "Have you found Ulfric?"

"Not yet." Gunjar spoke through grit teeth. He blocked an attack, and shoved forward, stunning his foe. Bringing down his axe, was all it took to finish her off.

"Watch 'your' flank!" Ralof warned as he cut down another soldier who was aiming for Gunjar.

Gunjar let out a grunt. "They keep coming."

"You're right." Ralof agreed. "What should we do?"

"Let's escape through the keep!" Gunjar killed two more soldiers, and broke away from the formation.

"Hold on!" Ralof yelled. "What about Ulfric?"

"For now we can only hope he escapes. Over staying our welcome, and dying here will only help the Empire." Without another word, Gunjar charged forward. A swing of his axe cleared his path, and he fled out of sight.

Although he hated to admit it, Gunjar was probably right. Unfortunately Imperial soldiers were blocking the way, and they weren't about to let anyone else pass. "It's not going to be easy, but we'll fight our way through." Said Ralof raising his axe and cleaving through soldiers. He pressed forward determined to make it through the Imperial barricade. An arrow whizzed in front of his eyes, nearly grazing his nose, and hit an Imperial to his side. He quickly turned to see the one responsible. "You nearly hit me!" He reprimanded.

"Ralof, get back!" The Arisen ordered, as she lowered her bow. Hearing the urgency in her voice he leapt back, right in the nick of time.

"Comestion!" Arliss yelled, and fire erupted from the ground, enveloping a few soldiers in a fire wall, separating the Stormcloaks and Imperials. Everyone stepped back away from the flames.

"Tis' just a temporary fire wall, it'll die down afore long." Silvana informed.

Ralof nodded. "When the flames go out, move quickly!" He ordered. They waited and soon the flames began to dissipate. "Now!" The Stormcloaks let out a battle cry as they rushed forward. They were met in kind with Imperials intent on stopping them. Numbers were cut down on both sides, but all pushed forward with great conviction. Ralof hacked into a soldier, and kicked away the body. "This way." He gestured to a few of his comrades, and the two strangers, who followed, leaving behind the sound of clashing blades.

Kriger had just jumped from the inn when realization struck. 'My hands are still tied. I should've had one of them cut the rope.' A loud thud, and the trembling earth got his attention, and there the dragon stood. He watched as the Imperial soldier, Hadvar, called out to a child. The boy ran as the Dragon opened it's maw and flames flew. The boy managed to escape unscathed, but behind him a body burned.

"Father!" The boy cried. Hadvar held him back from running into the flames. "No! Papa!" Tears streamed down his face as he screamed.

Kriger looked downcast as he listened to the boy. The cries were so similar, to his own from long before. He shook his head to stop his thoughts. "Talos guide him." He said softly.

Hadvar whipped his head around. "Who's there?"

'Damn, looks like he heard me.'

Not receiving an answer he became wary. He pulled out his sword, and called out once more. "Show yourself!"

'Hmph, looks like I have to.' Reluctantly Kriger stepped forward. "It's me." He held up his still tied hands. "I have no weapons either."

Hadvar was momentarily surprised. "Still alive Prisoner?" Without waiting for an answer he turned, and began moving. "Keep close to me if you wish to stay that way." He ordered.

'Can't believe I'm taking orders from someone who was about to cut off my head.' Kriger thought as he followed. "Hey, how about cutting off this rope?" Hadvar ignored his request, and continued moving. 'This is just great.' Kriger thought bitterly.

"Stay close to the wall!" Hadvar warned. Just as he said that, there was a great crash, and they pressed themselves against the wall. The dragon's massive arms nearly crushed them. Looking up Kriger saw it atop the wall.Kriger held his breath hoping it wouldn't look down. It breathed out another fiery breath, and took to the sky as quickly as it landed. The two let out sighs of relief, before pressing on.

As they neared the keep he spotted familiar faces in the distance. Ralof, and that strange pair. Kriger quickly rushed to join them. "Where are you-?" Hadvar stopped when he saw him. His brow furrowed. "Ralof! You damn traitor. Get out of my way!"

Ralof met him with a glare. "We're escaping Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time."

Hadvar eyed Ralof and his company, and scowled. "Fine, I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!" He yelled before storming off.

"Come on, into the keep." Ralof ordered. "Through here, let's go." He held open the door, and they rushed inside. Ralof was the last to enter, when he did his eyes widened. "Gunjar." He kneeled next to his dead comrade. "We'll meet again in Sovngarde brother." After a moment he stood. "Looks like we're the only ones who made it."

"Tis' not over yet." Silvana said.

"What do we do now?" Arliss asked.

"First, someone's gonna have to take care of this." Kriger held up his still tied hands in exasperation.

Ralof looked at him surprised. "You're still bound?" He asked in disbelief. "I'm impressed you've managed to survive like that." He laughed. "The divines must have blessed you with luck." Kriger gave Ralof a deathly glare. "Alright, I get it." Ralof said. "Come here, let me see if I can get those bindings off."

Kriger rubbed his newly free wrists. "That's much better."

"Why don't you take Gunjar's gear?" Ralof suggested. "He won't be needing it anymore."

Kriger looted Gunjar's body, and took off his ragged tunic. The Arisen looked away. Kriger laughed. "I'm not shy you know."

When he was done, he took a few practice swings with the axe. "Now, this is more like it." He grinned. With a weapon in his hands he felt as if he could almost taste freedom.

"Someone comes." Arliss warned. The sound of footsteps and hushed voices approached. They hid, weapons in their hands. Arliss hid farthest from the gate. Quietly he whispered an incantation.

Kriger could see them from his hiding spot. A group of Imperials. He recognized two of them. Giving out orders was the woman who ordered for his death. Then, among the group he saw, 'him'. His hand clenched tightly on his axe. He was eager to spill some blood. It was no sooner than the gate opened when he let out his own roar. "You!" He charged forward with his axe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4: Unbound ~ To Be Continued
> 
> Originally I planned to do "Unbound" in a single chapter, but since I've kept you waiting so long, and I'm having some trouble with the next scene; I've decided to cut the chapter into two parts. I'm really sorry, please bear with me. From now on I'm going to try not to take so long.
> 
> I'm sorry. If you notice anything odd, or think of ways to make my story better please let me know so I can fix it. I hope to continue improving my writing, and I hope you all enjoy reading.
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my story!


	5. Unbound (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as all seemed lost a dragon attacked, not missing this chance the rebels take advantage of the situation and begin their escape.   
> Helgen's Keep offers a moment of respite even if only briefly. As Imperials approach, Kriger recognizes one among them, and acts on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda and Dragon's Dogma belongs to Capcom. I own nothing.
> 
> Note:
> 
> "Speaking"
> 
> 'Thinking'

Chapter 5: Unbound (Part Two)

Hushed voices, and the sound of footsteps approached. A shrouded group lies in wait. The sound grows, incomprehensible words become clear. His grip clenched tightly around his axe. His blue eyes warily fixed upon a gate in anticipation. They're in his sight now, a group of imperials, among them, two familiar faces. His lips curled into a menacing grimace, as he let out his venom laced voice. "YOU!" With raised axe he charged forward into the fray, taking all by surprise.

"What are you doing charging in by yourself?!" Ralof yelled, but too late as Kriger had already vanished from sight. Only the sounds of clashing blades amidst the group revealed he was there. "He's gone mad!"

"Mayhaps." Said Silvana, as she knocked an arrow in her bow. "Or mayhaps he's just that confident in his skill." She fired. "For now let's trust in him, and offer our support."

"Alright." Arliss said as he enchanted her weapons. She then drew her daggers and rushed headfirst into battle.

"Hmph." Ralof held up his axe with a grin. "I never said I wouldn't" He said as he went in to join the fight.

Kriger was truly frenzied. The man responsible for his capture was within his grasp, but he was surrounded by other enemies intent on killing him. 'It looks like your not going to make this easy.' He cut down another soldier. 'Fine by me.' He thought. "If you intend to block my path, I'll carve a new one right through you!" He swung widely around himself, forcing his enemies to give him room. Quickly before they could recover he raised his axe high and cleaved through a man ahead of him. He aimed for another soldier, but he blocked his attack. Others threatened to close in on on him when they were cut down.

"Thought you could use some help." Ralof intervened.

"I don't need any help." Kriger grunted, his blade locked with another. "I can handle myself."

"No doubt friend. But a fellow nord is always willing to help a brother in arms." Ralof replied.

"He's right." Silvana joined. "Right now we need to work together." She fired another arrow. Kriger shoved the man he was locked in combat with, and readied his now free blade. "Arliss enchant his weapon with fire." The Arisen ordered.

"Right away." Arliss nodded, and sent a flaming orb towards Kriger.

"What the-?" Kriger's eyes widened, as the orb hit him, and covered his axe with an orange glow. He could feel heat radiating from the blade.

"Watch out!" Ralof warned.

Kriger managed to block just in time, he had again locked blades with the same man he had before. "I'll give you one thing you're persistent." He again shoved him away, and slashed at the opening. The soldier moved swiftly, and his axe only grazed his armor, and to both their surprise it caught fire. The soldier screamed in pain. Kriger jumped back in surprise. The panicked soldier tried to put out the flames, to no avail. Kriger raised his axe, and cut him down. He looked at the warm glow of the weapon again. "I admit it's a useful trick." With a grin he charged back into battle.

Soon after only a few imperials remained. The female captain, and the man Kriger was after were among them. "Finally." Kriger huffed, his eyes glued to the man. "You're mine." Slowly he made his way towards him. "Fight me."

The man's eyes widened. "You, you're quite the fighter I admit." He readied his sword and shield. "But, you've grown tired." A cold bead of sweat rolled down his face. "I won't lose to you!" He swung wildly. Kriger knocked his blade away, and the man stumbled back, and fell. "No! Wait!" The man cried. "Spare me please!" He held his shield up as a last defense.

Kriger sighed in disappointment. 'What was I expecting?' He wondered. 'This man is obviously a novice.' He looked down at the pitiful man. 'Novice or no, he must die, but...' He paused. 'Somehow it still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.' Kriger picked up his sword and raised it. Just then the man's plea was silenced by an arrow. Wide eyed he turned to the source. "Arisen, why did you-?"

"You were taking too long." She replied.

"You had no right to interfere!" Kriger said angrily. He wasn't sure which was worse. The bitter feeling of killing a defenseless novice who could only cry and beg, or having his revenge stolen right in front of him.

"I know not if you were planning to let him go, or if you intended to savor the kill, nor did I care. It matters not, hesitation leads to defeat."

"I was not hesitating!"

"Enough!" Ralof shouted. "You can fight later! Right now we've got to focus on her." He gestured to the imperial captain who was bound by Arliss' Grapnel.

"You rebels really think you'll escape? Don't make me laugh!" She taunted.

"I would watch my tongue if I were you." Ralof warned.

"Why is she still alive?" Silvana asked?

Arliss answered. "Sir.Ralof wished to interrogate her."

"Not really, but I did have a question. She didn't answer though." Ralof said sheepishly.

"Then there's no point keeping her alive." Silvana said coldly, and slit her throat.

"Then we've won?" Arliss asked. "I'll heal our wounds." After a moment Anodyne was cast, and a sigil of holy light appeared. It enveloped them and their wounds healed.

"I've never seen a healing spell heal more than one person at a time." Said Ralof.

"You people really are strange." Kriger added.

Before the Arisen could retort Ralof spoke. "Not that i'm complaining. Anyway, let's go now. We've wasted enough time here." The other's nodded, and they continued.

They went through the gate, and silently moved along a darkened corridor, and down a flight of stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, another roar resounded. The building shook violently. "Tis' a quake!" Arliss cried. The ceiling gave out. After a moment the dust settled, revealing a blocked path. "Are you alright Master?" He asked.

She coughed. "I'm fine, but the path-"

"We have to keep moving. This way." Said Ralof. The next room had few imperials, who were dispatched quickly. "We should look around for any potions while we're here, they could be useful."

After looking around the room awhile Kriger spoke up. "I found these, in a barrel." He held up three vials. One red, one green, and one blue. "I'm keeping the healing potion." He pocketed the red vial, then held up the blue one. "Here." He said to Arliss. "It's a magicka potion, you'll need it more than me. I don't use magic much anyway."

"Thank you." Arliss took the vial and examined it. He had never used a magic potion before, as his magic used stamina. Quietly he wondered if it would work for him. 'I suppose I should try it later.'

Kriger looked at the green vial in his hand. With a smirk he tossed it at the Arisen. "Here, for you."

She was surprised, but somehow managed to catch it. "What is this?"

"A stamina potion. To make sure you can keep up." Kriger laughed.

She smiled in cold amusement. "Why thank you, Sir. But I dare say I can keep up just fine."

"Keep it anyway. Just in case." He replied a smirk still on his lips.

"Are you ready to move?" Ralof asked impatiently. Kriger and Silvana sheepishly nodded, and they were on the move again.

As they reached the dungeons the sounds of battle reached their ears. "Let's go." Ralof ordered. They rushed in to see two imperials and two stormcloaks battling. It would be a pretty evenly matched fight, but that changed with their arrival. Shortly after, the fighting was over.

"Thanks for the help." One of the Stormcloaks said.

"Don't mention it." Ralof replied. "I'd help a fellow comrade any day."

A shiny gleam caught Arliss' gaze. "There's aught there." He walked up to a cage. "Had we a key, we could gather it."

"Who needs a key." Kriger held up a lockpick, and made his way to the cage. A moment later it was opened.

"How did you do that?" Silvana asked.

"I'll show you later." Kriger answered as he pocketed the gold. Picking up the book, he handed it to Arliss. "This is a spell tome. Since you're a mage you take it."

"My thanks." Said Arliss, as he took the book.

"You can take his robes too." Kriger said, gesturing to the dead mage.

Silvana was taken back. "You intend to remove the clothing from the dead?" She asked in disgust.

"Why not?" Was the answer she received. "He won't be needing it anymore."

"Ugh, but that's so-" Before she could finish she was interrupted by another voice.

"What an idea! Why have we not thought to do it before?" Arliss happily quipped, oblivious to his Master's reluctance. He was already rolling up the robes to take with him.

The Arisen sighed. "Oh fie, but be sure to wash it well afore putting it on."

Just then Ralof walked over, the other Stormcloaks behind him. "Good news, they're coming with us." Now a group of six, they continued down another darkened corridor which opened into a cave. Imperials gaurded the area.

"Let's get em'." One of the following Stormcloaks readied his blade.

"Not yet." Silvana whispered harshly. "Arliss cast spellscreen."

"With magic's boon." Arliss whispered, and a magical sigil enveloped the group. Instantly they felt a surge of strength.

Kriger lifted his weapon. A smile spread on his face. "Oh yeah, I like this."

"Now!" At once they charged, and they fell upon their enemies like a thunderstrike. They made short work of the guards and continued onwards.

"Tis' a lever." Arliss pointed.

"You don't say." Said Kriger sarcastically.

Ralof pulled the lever, lowering the bridge. "We're almost out. I can feel it." He said.

Kriger, and Ralof passed first. Arliss, and Silvana followed, the other two Stormcloaks behind them. Suddenly they were overtaken by the collapsing debris. The bridge gave out, and Silvana could feel herself falling.

"Master!" Arliss called frantically. Ralof and Kriger whirled around. Their eyes scanned worriedly for any signs of their missing comrades. Alas they couldn't see a thing beyond the dust of the fallen rubble.

Finally the dust settled, revealing her to them. "I'm fine." She coughed from the floor below.

"Are you hurt?" Arliss jumped down. "Don't worry I am here." He helped her to her feet.

Ralof breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're alright."

"It's good to see you're still breathing." Said Kriger.

"What about the others? Did they make it." Ralof asked.

Silvana shook her head regretfully. "I know not."

Ralof was saddened a moment, but steeled himself. "We need to keep moving. Do you need help getting back up here?" He asked, extending a hand to them.

"Tis' fine. There's a path here. We'll go this way."

"Alright." Ralof said reluctantly. "Take care."

"And don't die." Kriger added.

With that they continued onward. Along the path they found a small pouch filled with gold coins. "How strange. An unlucky fall led us to a lucky find." Silvana said, pocketing the money. Soon they were out of the hidden path, and back with the two Nords.

"Back already? Guess you couldn't stay away from me." Said Kriger.

"Your guess couldn't be more wrong Ser.Kriger." Silvana retorted.

"Ouch." He returned sarcastically.

They went deeper along the cave, until it opened up into a large area. Just then giant spiders glided down from the ceiling along a web. "Ugh, Frostbite Spiders." Ralof said. "I hate these things!" Everyone readied their weapons. "Watch out for their poison!" As soon as he said it, one spider spit venom at the Arisen who leapt aside. She then charged at it, and stabbed her twin daggers through it's corpse. Kriger smashed another spider with a mace. Ralof cleaved another in half. Arliss shot an ingle at another, burning it to ash.

Soon all the spiders were dead. Kriger cut into one of their corpses. "What are you doing?" Silvana asked.

"Getting the frostbite venom." Kriger answered. "You can coat your weapon with it."

She was a bit apprehensive at first, but she cut into a spider's corpse with her daggers and harvested the poison.

"Don't be so squeamish." Said Kriger.

"Tis' not it. I'm just not terribly fond of spiders." Silvana defended.

Once that was done, they began moving again. It wasn't long before they again came to a halt. "Hold up." Ralof whispered. "There's a bear just ahead. See her." The other's quickly lowered to a stealthy crouch. "I'd rather not tangle with her right now."

Kriger nodded. "Let's sneak past."

The Arisen eyed the sleeping bear. Hints of blood could be seen on it's fur. 'Tis' injured.' She thought. Her hands reached for her bow. She took aim. 'Fire!' It let out an pained cry, and charged with a fierce rage.

"Guess you're not the sneaking type." Ralof sighed.

"No helping it now." Said Kriger. "We fight!" He pulled out his mace. and charged. He smacked it hard upside the head. The bear was dazed a moment, giving the Arisen time to jump onto the bear, and strike with a hundred kisses from her blades. The bear was dead.

"Next time you plan to attack a bear, let us know ahead of time alright." Ralof scolded.

"What made you decide to attack it?" Asked Kriger.

"I saw that bear twas injured, and knew we could kill it easily." She answered.

"Bears are deadly beasts, so you should be more careful." Said Ralof.

"I've killed plenty of deadly beasts. I can take care of myself." Said Silvana.

"That's not important right now." Said Kriger. "What's important is we get this thing skinned." He pulled out a knife. "It'll fetch a nice price if we sell it."

They progressed further along the cave, bear pelt in tow. A chilly wind blew through them. "Do you feel that Arisen?" Arliss asked.

Ralof's spirit lifted, and he quickened his pace. "We're near the exit." The others hurried after him. Afore them a bright light shone from out of the cave. "Have you ever seen so great a sight?" Ralof asked with a laugh. Finally they escaped the cave, and stood outside overlooking the beautiful land of Skyrim. "Get down!" Ralof warned. Quickly they hid, daring only to raise their eyes to see the beast. The dragon flew overhead, into the distance, until it disappeared on the horizon. For a moment they just waited in a silence that was eventually broken by Ralof. "It's gone now."

"So, we're finally free?" Silvana asked breathlessly.

"We did it!" Arliss cheered.

"Finally." Kriger joined.

They stood triumphantly, savoring the sweet taste of freedom. After a bit, Arliss asked a question most were wondering. "What do we do now?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbound End: Please let me know your thoughts. If you have anything to say. What you liked? What you didn't like? Favorite character? Least favorite? Anything so I can improve my writing and my story.
> 
> Also, i'm trying to find a balance of power between my main protagonists. Please let me know if you think it's a good balance or if I should try to fix it in later chapters.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed!


	6. Pillars of Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having escaped from Helgen the group of strangers continue to travel together. Their path is filed with more than just pleasant conversation, as they contemplate their past, and decide what they plan to do with their new found freedom. Will they drift apart, or are their fates tied together?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda, and Dragon's Dogma belongs to Capcom. I own nothing.
> 
> Note:
> 
> "Speaking"
> 
> 'Thinking'

Chapter 6: Pillars of Light

The crisp air blew across the deep blue afternoon sky. Few clouds glided slowly over the sun. Twas a beautiful, and peaceful sight. You would not have known the horror that occured earlier that day. Even a certain group of travelers who had been witness to the events prior that day, managed to forget amidst the calmness.

"-And then she took a broom, aimed it at us and said-" Ralof happily laughed. The group listened to him tell of one of his childhood stories. He had told them that his sister lived in Riverwood nearby, and would help them. On the way there he asked if they'd like to hear a funny story, of course the others agreed.

"Your sister sounds like a fearsome woman." Kriger laughed.

"She is when she wants to be." Agreed Ralof. "You don't have to worry though, she became less hot headed after settling down." He laughed again.

Silvana stifled a laugh. Ralof was quite the storyteller, and his laugh was infectious. 'When was the last time I felt this pleasant?' She wondered. A small smile on her face.

Arliss observed the group quietly. As a pawn, laughter never came easily to him, and most pawns could not hope to recreate the happy effect Ralof had so easily cast upon the others. 'Even the Arisen, who had not laughed in so long was affected.' He noted.'Ralof is so human.' A thought came to him. 'I should learn from Ralof to act more humanlike.' Arliss observed him some more, specifically his infectious laugh. 'If I laugh like that, would I seem more human?' He wondered. He tried letting out a hearty laugh like Ralof's, only to produce an obviously forced, stiff sound. He stopped when he noticed the odd looks he received.

"Are you okay lad?" Ralof asked. "You sound like you're in pain, or something."

"Eh." Was the only sound Arliss could make in response. He was dumbfounded. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Realising their eyes were still on him he forced a smile that wouldn't reveal to most eyes how fake it truly was. He was much better at faking smiles than laughs. "Yes, I'm fine."

Ralof looked at him strangely, after a moment he said. "Well, if you say so lad." Turning away he began moving again.

Arliss caught the other's lingering looks, before they turned to follow Ralof. Kriger's eyes held a look that Arliss guessed was something akin to suspicion. The Arisen's gaze lingered the longest. Arliss could see worry on her face, with a hint of something else he didn't know. 'Sadness? Guilt?' He truly didn't know. As he followed them he sighed inwardly. 'I failed again.' He thought. 'Acting human is more difficult than it seems.' Even the smallest detail imperceptible to a pawn seemed to give away his strangeness easily.

Soon a mountain pass could be seen in the near distance across a river. It held an eery, foreboding presence. "See that?" Ralof pointed. "That's Bleak Falls Barrow."

"Tis' an imposing sight." Said Arliss.

"Damn straight." Ralof shuddered. "I don't know how my sister can stand living in the shadow of that place. It chills my blood just thinking of it."

"Why's that?" Silvana asked. Kriger also perked his ears in curiosity.

"It's an ancient Nord tomb." Said Ralof. "Who knows what could be in there." He gave Kriger, and Silvana a pat on the back. "Let's go. The sooner we get to Riverwood, the sooner we get it out of our sight." He began moving at a quicker pace. Before following the others gave the place one last look. One of wariness, with a hint of curiosity.

Not long after they came upon another interesting sight. Three stone pillars stood together, overlooking a lake, and the wilderness around them. It felt as if a strange power emanated from them, drawing you closer towards them. Surely they must have been built ages ago, by a strange power.

"What purpose do you suppose these stones hold?" Arliss asked walking foward to closer examine them.

"These are the guardian stones." Said Ralof with pride, and awe. "Why don't you go on up." He smiled. "See which one speaks to you." The others looked at him curiously a moment, before walking up to the stones.

Arliss was already eyeing one stone in particular. On it was etched a powerful looking wizard. It was a magic user like him, but Arliss thought it looked much more powerful. Somehow looking at it took his thoughts to the past. Arliss had always been a mage, that was why he was chosen. His magic was what the Arisen needed. His eyes on the powerful wizard, he thought 'I want to have even greater magic power. Power like that. So that I can remain by the Arisen's side.' He stretched out his hand.

Kriger walked up to one of the stones. On it was the carving of a cloaked man. 'Damn thief' Words from before played in his head. Those words weren't meant for him, but yet they were, because he had felt it to be true. It wasn't the life he had wanted, but it was the life he had led up to that point. He hated what life had forced him to become. He resented it. Turning away from the thief stone he eyed another carving. 'But, this is why I came to Skyrim.' He thought. 'From this day on-' He grit his teeth. 'I live my life as a true Nord should.' He stepped forward towards the warrior stone, and stretched out his hand. 'I will atone for what i've done.'

Silvana stood in front of a piller. Looking at the carving made her feel sick for some reason. The carving was of a heroic looking warrior. 'A hero.' The thought made her want to laugh. When she became an Arisen, she strived to be like that. She did her best to help people, and fulfilled her duty by killing the dragon, but the same people she had tried to help, turned against her. 'Kill the Arisen! Death to the Arisen! Let the Arisen's only peace be death!' Accusatory voices echoed in her head. 'I knew you for a villain!' She shut her eyes tight as the voices continued. 'She would tell you the dragon is dead. Lies! She consorts with the dragon!' Her teeth were grinding, her fists shook, her nails were cutting into her skin.

"Arisen!" A familiar voice boomed. She opened her eyes to see that she was no longer standing in front of the stone. In front of her a giant red dragon lay dying. She recognized him immediately. Grigori continued speaking in his low, raspy voice. "Your life now belongs to no other. You've won it by rights. It is yours to cast away, or use as you see fit. Remember that." Speaking his last words Grigori turned to ash and blew away into the wind.

She blinked, and opening her eyes once more, she found she was again standing in front of the warrior stone. She gave it one last look before turning around. 'No longer will I walk that painful path.' She eyed another carving, and with a fire in her eyes she stepped forward. 'From this day on, I live for myself.' Stretching her hands out to the thief stone she had one thought. 'I will be free.'

At once the three pillers lit up. Beams of light flew through the heavens. Energy seemed to fill the whole area. The wind around them picked up. The clouds swirled. They could feel the energy welling up inside of them.

"By the nine divines." Ralof's awestruck voice came out in a whisper. "To see all the pillars alight at once. It's truly something to behold." He turned to Kriger. "I knew you were a warrior. Those stars will guide you to honor, and glory." He smiled, then turned to Arliss. "And, I knew you would pick the mage. I'm not fond of those fancy magic tricks myself, but to each his own." He laughed. Finally he turned to Silvana, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I won't judge you for your choice, but-" He paused unable to find the right words. "You know, it's never too late to take charge of your own fate."

Silvana didn't look at him, her eyes only looked to the ground. "Thank you, Sir. Ralof." She finally said.

Ralof laughed. "There's no need to call me Sir!" He looked at her with a wide smile. "I've never been the formal type. Just call me Ralof." After a short pause he spoke up again. "Besides we're friends aren't we?"

Silvana was taken back by surprise. 'Friends?' It had been so long since she's had a friend other than Arliss. "Thank you, Ralof." She finally said. "Since we're friends, you may call me 'Silva'." She gave a small smile.

"Silva the Arisen?" Kriger asked. "It suits you."

"Why thank you Se- Kriger." She said.

"I'm glad to have met you, my friends." Ralof gave out a hearty laugh, and they began walking again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6: Pillars of Light End
> 
> This chapter was pretty short compared to the other ones. I would have liked to extend it a bit at least till they got to Riverwood, but it felt like a good place to end the chapter. Please let me know what you think.
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!


	7. Wolves and Reunions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Bethesda belongs to Skyrim, and Capcom belongs to Dragon's Dogma. I own nothing.
> 
> Note:
> 
> "Speaking"
> 
> 'Thinking'

Chapter 7: Wolves and Reunions

"I'm glad you folks decided to come with me." Ralof said with a grin. "We're almost to Riverwood."

"I'm glad to hear it." Silva smiled.

"Me too." Kriger said. "My feet are killing me."

Arliss nodded enthusiastically. "It will be most beneficial to rest awhile at an inn."

Just as they were beginning to look forward to a much awaited rest a howl shot through the air. "Wolves!" Ralof warned. At once they were on alert. Their eyes scanned the woods around them warily.

The rustling of leaves got Arliss' attention. Among the foliage he caught a glimpse of black fur. 'Wolves with black fur?!' Memories of large dark beasts flashed through his mind. "Hellhounds!" He cried. Just then another howl could be heard and a black wolf leapt out at him.

Luckily for Arliss, the Arisen was swift with a bow, and the wolf was dead before it landed. She observed it. 'Tis definitely not large enough to be a hellhound.' She sighed in relief.

Unbeknownst to her another was aiming to attack her from behind. "Watch out!" Arliss shot an ingle at it. "Wolves hunt in packs!"

Kriger let out a snort. "Is that so?" He said sarcastically as he stabbed a wolf with a sword he picked up in Helgen keep. Another lunged at him, but he held up his sword defensively. The wolf bit down onto his blade. Kriger's brow furrowed in surprise, and anger. "Let go." He said through clenched teeth. He tried pulling out the blade, but the wolf had a surprisingly strong grip. It's teeth were becoming bloody, but it still didn't yield. Gripping tightly with both hands he managed to loosen it's hold of the blade. The sword cut cleanly through it's mouth. "Mangy mutt." He muttered under his breath.

Ralof cleaved through another with his axe. "That's another one down."

It wasn't long afore all the wolves were dealt with. "We have triumphed." Said Arliss.

"Damn straight!" Ralof laughed.

Kriger looked at the mage strangely. "What was that you said earlier?" He asked. "Something about hellhounds?"

Arliss was taken aback by the question. 'It's true I was too reckless with my words.' He cursed his carelessness. "I was mistaken." He said simply.

"That's right." Ralof sounded as if he had reached a realization. "You did say something like that." He laughed. "You were pretty jumpy. Good for us eh?"

"Tell me about these hellhounds of yours." Said Kriger. He recalled the way the two foreigners arrived, and was suspicious of them. 'First you fall from the sky, and not long after a dragon of all things comes at the perfect time to save your lives.' His eyes narrowed. 'That's way too convenient to be a coincidence.'

"Now that you mention it." Ralof began. "I'm curious about them too."

Arliss gave the Arisen an apologetic look. She sighed. 'It seems they're not going to let the matter go.' Glancing at their expectant faces made her think. 'They already know that we're foreign to these lands.' After a moment of consideration she spoke. "Very well. Back in Gransys we fought large, ash colored wolves that could spit, and breath fire." She began explaining the way that the beasts fought, the way they would drag you away the moment they had an opportunity to do so.

Kriger let out a grunt. "Interesting." He said rubbing his dark stubble.

"I'm glad we don't have anything like that in Skyrim." Ralof said. "Anyway, let's skin these wolves and get outta here." After skinning the wolves he spoke up. "I'd like to hear more of this Gransys place of yours. If you don't mind maybe you could tell us more of your homeland on the way to Riverwood?"

Silva gave a small smiled. "It would be a pleasure Ser.Ralo- I mean Ralof."

Along the way she told them of her home, of Cassardis. She told them how the gentle waves caressed the warm sands, of the delicious fish the village sold, and the way the friendly people of Cassardis treated each other like family. Remembering those happy days filled her with a sense of nostalgia, and sadness. As much as she was glad to be in a world, and not a rift, she couldn't stop her longing for those days. She missed Cassardis. She missed her friends, the chief who treated her as his own, and her best friend who was like a sister to her. Before she knew it, her vision became blurry with tears, and a sob escaped her throat.

"Master, are you all right?" Arliss had already placed his hand on her shoulder for support.

"What's wrong?" Ralof asked worried.

"I can never go back." She said through sobs.

"You managed to get here didn't you?" Kriger asked. "There must be a way for you to return." He suggested. He was beginning to feel guilty for his suspicion. 'Maybe they didn't mean to come here. Maybe it wasn't their fault.' He began to think. 'Even if they didn't do it purposely, they still could be responsible for bringing that dragon here.' He shook his head, he really didn't know what to think. This mystery was something he felt he had to unravel.

She shook her head. "Even if I could return tis' too late." 'The people I knew, and loved died lifetimes ago.' She knew it all too well, she had watched it from her throne. Everyone she knew withered away long ago.

"Hey, cheer up." Ralof began. "I don't know what your situation is, but Riverwood is really close now. My sister and I, we'll help you. I promise."

Silva felt absolutely pathetic. 'Why am I breaking down now?' She asked herself. Knowing that if she remained in this state she would be nothing but burdening her new friends she steeled herself. Bringing herself back to her feet she wiped her eyes, and did her best to regain her composure. "I'm sorry." Her voice shook. "Let us proceed." She did her best to speak in a reticent tone.

She avoided their gaze, and walked ahead of the group, trying to ignore the feeling of stares upon her back.

Soon Riverwood came into view. "What did I tell you? That there is Riverwood." Ralof said with a large smile. It looked like a nice little village from what the others could see.

"We have arrived!" Arliss exclaimed loudly as they came into the town. Hearing him shout a few villagers turned to the incoming group and gave them odd looks.

The two nords of the group suppressed the urge to knock some sense into the clueless mage. "Sorry about that." Ralof said to the onlookers with an awkward laugh. He then turned to Arliss and hushed him. "Could you keep it down?" He asked.

"Most people don't shout like that, when coming into a town." Kriger snickered.

"That's right." Ralof agreed. "You'll disturb the peace."

"I see." Arliss nodded. "Thank you for this valuable lesson. I have learned aught of behavior."

Ralof raised a confused eyebrow, while Kriger furrowed his in bewilderment. Before they could say anything they were interrupted by the sound of laughter. "I'm sorry." Silva said through giggles. "Tis' an amusing predicament." She raised her hand to try to stifle her laugh to no avail. "Your faces were rather humorous."

"I'm glad to see you well Master." Arliss smiled.

Ralof laughed. "That's true." He grinned. "It's good to see you're in better spirits."

Kriger was a bit annoyed that she found the situation funny, but he did agree with them.

"Ralof is that you?" A womans voice interrupted them. Turning to the source of the voice they saw a blonde woman, worry etched on her face. Her bright blue eyes looked as if they would burst to tears. "What are you doing here? Are you alright?" She ran to him and began carefully looking over him for wounds.

"Gerdur." Ralof spoke in a calming tone. The others knew instantly that this was the sister he spoke of. "Gerdur I'm fine." The two embraced.

Kriger coughed. "As much as I don't want to ruin your moment.." He paused. "We have some important things that we need to talk about." He caught view of another blonde woman sweeping the front of what he guessed was the towns inn. She seemed to be observing them. "Preferably somewhere private." He added.

Gerdur seemed to notice where he was looking and nodded. She didn't have to turn to confirm it. She knew that Delphine, like most innkeepers tended to be nosy. Though she had a feeling that Delphine was more observant than most. She gave her brother a key. "Take them to the house." She said. "I'll get Hod, and meet you there."

Ralof led the others to his sister's home, and they hurried inside. Soon Gerdur came as promised. Behind her was a tall, blonde man with a beard. They learned that this man was Hod; Gerdur's husband. They were followed by a young boy, they could tell without being told that he was their son.

"Uncle Ralof!" The boy ran up to Ralof and excitedly bombarded him with questions.

"Frodnar." Gerdur called the boy sternly. "Go watch the south road and run back and warn us if you see any Imperial soldiers." She ordered.

Frodnar turned to her in disappointment. "Aww, but Mama, I want to stay here and talk with uncle Ralof."

Ralof ruffled the boy's hair. "Look at you. You're taller than the last time I saw you. It won't be long till you're ready to join the fight to free Skyrim yourself." He said.

"That's right!" Frodnar puffed in pride. "Don't worry uncle Ralof. I won't let those Imperials sneak up on you." He ran out the door followed by his loyal dog stump.

After he left they remained in a cold uncomfortable silence. "So Ralof, what brings you here?" Hod finally asked. "I have a feeling this is more than just a friendly visit."

Ralof sighed. "I won't beat around the bush. We're gonna need your help."

"We?" Hod asked, warily observing the three strangers Ralof brought into his house.

Gerdur gave Hod a reprimanding look. "Are these people your comrades?" She asked.

Ralof looked to the three behind him. "Not comrades yet, but friends. I owe them my life in fact."

Gerdur gave them a warm smile. "Any friend of Ralof's is a friend of mine. We'll be glad to help you, and your friends."

Ralof gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you Gerdur." His face quickly turned to one of sadness. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to put your family in danger."

"Nonsense." She reprimanded. "I'm happy to help."

Hod sighed. He knew that once Gerdur made up her mind there was no changing it. "Alright we'll help you." He said defeated. "But, we need to know what's going on."

The three strangers continued to let Ralof do the talking. They knew Gerdur's generosity for complete strangers was mostly due to Ralof's influence. The couple's eyes went wide when he told them of the dragon attack in Helgen. "You don't mean a real, live-" Gerdur's shaken voice couldn't even finish the sentence. The pale couple glanced at the somber strangers, and knew instantly that he was telling the truth.

Hod's curiosity overtook his fear. "What was it like?" He asked in an almost excited tone. "As big as a house?"

"Even larger than that." Said Kriger. "As big as the inn."

Hod whistled. "That sounds like a sight to see." His face went from impressed to nervous in an instant. "Not that i'd actually want to see one mind you."

Ralof gestured to his new friends. "They're all foreigners to Skyrim, do you think you could help them get adjusted?"

"Foreigners?" Gurder eyed Kriger. She could tell by their clothes that the woman, and mage were foreign, but was surprised to hear that he too was new to skyrim. In his Stormcloak armor he appeared to be a perfect example of a Nord.

"Aye." Said the nord stranger. "I am Kriger, and was on my way here from Cyrodil when we met."

Seeing his sister's surprise Ralof laughed. "That armor suits you so well, she couldn't tell you weren't born, and raised here." Before the other two strangers could introduce themselves Ralof did it for them. "This is Silvana, also known as Silva the Arisen." He pat her hard on the back pushing her forward towards his sister. "And this mage here is Arliss." He practically pulled him forward. "He called himself a main something. Couldn't have been a squeeze was it?" He laughed.

Arliss blinked in confusion. "What's that?" He asked. His obliviousness earned him some surprised looks, which quickly turned into laughs. Specifically Ralof's, Hod's, and even a chuckle from Kriger. He tilted his head, trying to understand the situation. "Is there something amusing?" Unfortunately this only made them laugh harder.

A flustered Silva resisted the urge to say something. She guiltily watched them tease her poor pawn. She hated when people were cruel to, or badmouthed her pawns. Unfortunately the situation would only worsen if she intervened now. Thankfully Gerdur stepped in.

"Alright, that's enough!" The nord woman yelled. "Leave the poor lad alone." She ordered.

"I was only teasing." Ralof defended.

"Yes, yes. We're well aware of how much of a joke you like to be." She turned to her still laughing husband. "That goes for you too."

"Oh come on." Hod protested. "You have to admit it was pretty funny."

Before the situation could escalate further Frodnar returned. "What's going on?" He asked through the open door.

"Frodnar, close the door." She ordered. As soon as he did she anxiously asked "Did you see any imperial soldiers?"

He shook his head. "Nope, and it was getting dark, and boring. Anyway I don't think they'll come tonight." He sat down at the table. "When's dinner? I'm starving."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7:Wolves and Reunions End
> 
> I hope the characters, and dialogue aren't too odd. I'm sorry if it's strange, please let me know so I can improve.
> 
> I got this version caught up to date with the one on ff.net, so the amount of chapters are even.
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!


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